So, this is my life.

Drink your water

Drink your water. Every day, all day. Because it matters, because it’s good for you. While drinking water replaces the moisture your body loses during the day doing its thing being a body, we lose extra moisture in summer, when we exercise, when we are eating a lot of processed or salty foods…

I used to hate water. I’m not exaggerating, I believe the phrase “eww, water!” Passed my lips more than once. Now, it’s the thing I drink 90% of the time. I can actually break down a “normal” day for me:

Wake up, have a glass of water

One cup of coffee with 4 oz of frothed skim milk

8oz water

Shakeology with almond milk

30 oz water

Possibly some black tea or la croix

At least 50 more ounces of water before I go to bed.

I have a goal of at least 100 oz of water per day. If I don’t drink that much, I can feel it the next day, with fatigue, headache, and a sapped feeling. In fact, the first thing I do if I’m feeling sapped or tired is try drinking water before reaching for caffeine.

To jazz up my water cup, I do some flavors additives. A large mason jar with 5 raspberries and a hunk of lemon made a refreshing drink.

A daytime fave is mint and lime water. I love this all day long. It’s great to make a pitcher at night and then have it ready for the next day. Muddle the mint leaves, or you’ll need to chop them up to really get a minty flavor. Protip: if you aren’t a huge citrus fan, cut the citrus pieces in slices, not wedges, and don’t squeeze the fruit. You’ll get just the essence of the citrus that way.

This is the ideal way to prep your mint and lime water, versus the alternative, which is….

It may look odd, but it’s yummy!

Mint is good with a lot of things: any kind of summer berry, peach, cucumber, watermelon. Feeling tropical? Go for a pitcher with a slice of pineapple. Just remember that you’re going for a flavoring, not a full on fruit cocktail.

When I’m looking for a new way to make up a fruit water, I just google pictures of fruit water for inspiration. Seriously. Check out what I found as some good ideas:

I love all the combos in these jars, from strawberry-orange-mint, raspberry lime water, cucumber-grapefruit water and blueberry -orange water, these are all refreshing combos. And a big mason jar is a perfect place to let your flavors infuse before the next day: just chop up what you like, put it in a jar, seal, and pop it in the fridge: in the morning it’s a refreshing fruit-flavored treat. The longer the fruit sits in the water, the more intense the infusion-flavor becomes.

What’s more, fruit infused water is pretty and makes people say: hey, what are you drinking? Is that a fancy spa drink? You can also daydream about what combinations would be good with vodka.

If you’re working out, your muscles are thirsty and need water– and if you’re not drinking water, then you’re going to feel dehydrated and like a crap-stick on a daily basis. This handy infographic warns you about the consequences of dehydration. Danger!

Remember,if you’re feeling thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. Beat that heat and feeling by keeping on top of it with lots and lots of nature’s perfect drink: water!!!